Clemson - Georgia State Notes

Staff Report

12/30/2006

Clemson has won 13 consecutive games to start the season, the second-longest winning streak in school history and second-best start to a season. The longest winning streak by the Tiger program was 17 games to start the 1986-87 season.

Clemson vs. Georgia State Series History The The Series: Clemson vs. Georgia State
The Tigers hold a 3-0 advantage in the short history of this series, with all three games played coming during the Cliff Ellis era (1984-94) at Clemson. Each of three games in the series has seen a decisive win for the Tigers.

The first game played between the two schools was during the 1985-86 season. In that game, the Tigers won 100-60 behind a 20-20 performance by then junior Horace Grant. He totaled 21 points and 20 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action. Grant is one of only eight Clemson players ever to record a 20-20 game.

The second meeting between the two came a year later, as part of Clemson's 17-0 run to start the 1986-87 season. Grant again proved unstoppable for Clemson, scoring 30 and bringing down 15 rebounds. Clemson won that high-scoring affair, 108-91.

The third meeting ever between the two was during the 1989-90 season, and Clemson claimed a 117-59 victory. The 58-point margin of victory remains one of the best in school history.

Game Notes
* Clemson is ranked 21st by USA Today and 25th by the Associated Press this week. It marks the first time since Jan. 11, 1999 that the Tigers have been ranked by both polls in the same week.

* The Tigers rank fourth in the Sagarin computer ratings and 11th in the RPI after games played on Friday, December 29. Clemson is one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in the country.

* Clemson is 3-0 this season versus teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers defeated Mississippi State at home, 69-66, in November, then won 74-53 over South Carolina on the road. Most recently, the Tigers downed Georgia 75-60 on December 28 after forcing 26 Bulldog turnovers.

* As expected, defense has been one of the strong suits for the Tigers this season. Clemson leads the ACC in steals per game, ranks second in turnover margin, third in rebound margin, and fourth in blocked shots per game.

* The Tigers lead the conference in offensive rebounds per game. Leading the way in this area for Clemson are Trevor Booker and James Mays, both of whom rank among the top five individual leaders in the ACC in the category.

* Clemson has won 24 consecutive games with James Mays in the lineup, an 11-0 record last year and an 13-0 record so far this year. He ranks in the top 10 in the ACC in six individual statistical categories.

* K.C. Rivers has scored in double figures in every game this year even though he has not started. His 13-game streak of consecutive double figure scoring games as a reserve is a Clemson record. Rivers has half of the Tigers' six 20-point scoring games this season.

* Vernon Hamilton has upped his steal total in recent games and now is fifth in the ACC in steals per game. He has 229 for his career, which ranks 17th on the all-time conference list. He is also seventh in the league in assist/turnover ratio this season.

* Junior co-captain Cliff Hammonds ranks second in the ACC in assist/turnover ratio this season (2.53). He was third in the league in this category a year ago. For his career, Hammonds has a 1.72 assist/turnover ratio (241/140).

* Trevor Booker continues to be one of the top freshmen in the ACC this season. He is one of five Tigers averaging double figures (10.1 points per game) and leads the team in blocked shots (24) and is second in rebounding.